Alfonso C. Abruzzi, CoplayArmy, World War II

Veterans Day should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the sacrifices of the thousands of troops who died on the beaches of Normandy, Salerno and the Pacific during World War II should not have been in vain. I also remember the hundreds of thousands of civilians killed in that war.

Today a new generation of American military is fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 4,000 have been killed and thousands more severely wounded. When will civilization realize that wars don't settle anything?

Six brothers and myself served in the Second World War and Korea. I firmly believe that no one should be deferred from serving in wartime. That includes members of Congress. Sacrifice should apply to everyone.